Hinata's Choice
by Dancing Meliai
Summary: Hinata's ultimate goal has always been to become strong and honorable like Naruto. But when old memories below the surface are brought up, Hinata must choose: will she stay on Naruto's path or will she be tempted otherwise? Some NejiHina.
1. Their Meeting

_Hinata faced a dilemma: Should she ask Lady Tsunade for permission to be removed from the mission, or should she risk going with Naruto to the Village of the Sand? The mission requires the shinobi team to protect the Kazekage of the village. There had been signs of disturbance and attempts have been made to murder him. Tsunade-sama had the vague feeling that these events were possibly related to Orochimaru. As soon as Naruto heard "Orochimaru" while eavesdropping on Tsunade, he burst into the room demanding to be on the team that would take the mission._

_Unfortunately, there was currently a shortage for shinobi in the village after Orochimaru and the Sound ninja wreaked havoc in Konoha. Normally, only the top Jounin were selected, but everyone was out in missions. So that just left Naruto, Shino, Hinata, and her protector, Neji. _

_The four of them set out the next day, heading for the Village of the Sand. Halfway there, Hinata collapsed from the heat. It took an hour to revive her, and delayed the team for about a day and a half. When the finally reached village, they all gasped in horror. Everyone in the village lay dead…except Gaara._

That was two years ago, yet the memory was still clear in her mind.

"Hinata!" said Sakura, calling the quiet girl out of her state of confusion. "Hinata, did you hear the news? Naruto's back! I'm on my way to see him. Want to come?"

"Um…I'm a bit busy, but thanks for the offer, Sakura." said Hinata. She quickly rushed back to the Hyuuga household, and, of all the luck, ran into her father, Hiashi Hyuuga. "Good morning, father," said Hinata humbly.

"Hinata," said her father sternly "shouldn't you be training for the Jounin Exams? You've become a Chuunin, but both Hanabi and Neji are Jounin by now." The sad thing was, Hiashi Hyuuga is right. Hanabi, her sister and a ninja 5 years her junior could easily defeat her in combat. Both Neji and Hanabi have surpassed her. While for a few years Hiashi treated Hinata unfairly the in hopes of stimulating a response to make her try harder, but has finally come to accept his seemingly spineless daughter as, what he would consider, a failure. Hiashi still cared for his daughter very much, but he finds it hard to show that emotion through his disappointment.

Hanabi, on the other hand, wasted no time in being sympathetic towards Hinata. She never missed a chance to tease her. Hanabi had so many creative names that she used for Hinata, some of which included "Miss Oblivious", "She-Who-Will-Not-Speak" [What can I say? Hanabi read Harry Potter books and her favorite "Flaky Freak". Hanabi, like her father, loved Hinata as much as she could, but was also sometimes embarrassed to admit they were even related.

Then there was Neji. He had always been kind to Hinata. No matter what she did, he would never reprimand her or mock her. Hinata only felt safe, comfortable, and happy when she's near him. He was more than her protector…he was her friend. But as close as friends get, Hinata never mentioned to him that her sparkling admiration for Naruto was more intimate than he believed. And that's when Hinata ran headfirst into Neji on the way to her room. She was temporarily unbalanced, but Neji grabbed her just in time to stabilize her. Hinata quickly thanked Neji and rushed off, cheeks crimson red from embarrassment.

As she entered the room, Hinata quickly removed her coat, shirt and pants. It wasn't until she put on her kimono that she realized someone else was in the room.

"Hello, Hinata," said Gaara.

"H-H-Hello," Hinata stuttered. "I didn't know that you'd be back so soon, Gaara-san."

"What's with the surprised look? I thought you'd be happy to see me, " said Gaara.

"I-I am Gaara-kun, but it's always a surprise to see you in such unexpected places," replied Hinata.

Gaara smiled slightly. "Don't be afraid, Hinata. I won't harm you."

"Wh-what made you return to Konoha?" Hinata asked shyly.

"To see you," replied Gaara.


	2. What's Next?

_Hinata remembered staring at the deserted streets, shaking with horror and apprehension. There was a good chance that the murderer was still in the vicinity. The streets contained a sickly sweet smell because of the blood. Vultures circled above the village. This reminded her of the time the Uchiha clan was killed off by Uchiha Itachi. _

_As the team walked through the streets, they noticed a trail of sand and blood that grew thicker as they neared the main building of the Kazekage. When they finally arrived at the scene of the crime, there stood Gaara, clutching his head with his blood stained hands and beside him laid the dead Kazekage. _

_"You!" shouted Naruto. "What did you do?! Answer me, Gaara! Why did you kill all these innocent people? What kind of a monster are you?!?"_

_"Stop it, Naruto," said Neji. "We came here to find the perpetrator, now we've cornered him. Our duty is to bring him back to Konoha to be interrogated, not scream nonsense to his face." And with that, he activated his Byakugan and searched for Gaara chakra openings. Shino called forth his beetles, and now they rested upon his arms. Hinata hesitated, but then also activated her Byakugan as well. _

_"Here I go!" said Naruto. He quickly conjured a Shadow Clone and created his signature jutsu, the Rasengan. Naruto ran towards Gaara, but just before he was able to thrust the sphere of chakra, Gaara created a thick wall of sand between them. The Rasengan penetrated the wall, but none of its power hit Gaara, who deftly move out of the way as Naruto drew closer. _

_Neji and Hinata charged forward together, but Gaara blocked them with another wall of sand and their attacks stopped once they reached the dense wall. "Damn it! It's impossible to reach him with hand-to-hand attacks," Neji said, frustrated, "Our Jyuuken fighting style has no chance at all!"_

_Shino summoned his bugs and they began climbing on top of the sand constantly swirling around Gaara and attempted to drain some of the chakra from the sand, but to no avail. Gaara surrounded the bugs with his Desert Coffin and no response was made when Shino tried to contact them again. _

_Now it was Gaara's turn to attack. He formed a huge needle of sand around his arm, and charged forward at Naruto. He punctured one of Naruto's lungs and then swiftly brushed him aside. Naruto hit the wall and began coughing up blood. Hinata ran towards him and attempted to heal him, but being a novice healer, she was only able to stop the bleeding. With shaking hands, Hinata continued to apply a mixture of healing chakra and pressure on Naruto's chest. By now, Naruto was already unconscious._

_Hinata looked back up, and saw that Neji sported a couple of broken legs and Shino was furiously trying to keep Gaara off. When Shino finally went down, Gaara turned his head towards Hinata. "Now it's your turn."_

"What's the matter, Hinata?" asked Gaara. "Do I still seem dangerous to you?" Gaara paused and studied Hinata's uncertain expression. "Or are you just embarrassed about us being seen in public?"

"It-it's not like that at all," protested Hinata. "It's just that Neji-ni-san and my father dislike uninvited visitors… so-so-you understand, don't you Gaara?" Hinata quelled under Gaara's stern gaze. "If my father saw you here right now, he would hurt you badly…"

"Well, it seems that no matter how much I ask, he still won't let me in. So sneaking into your house is my reply to his friendly 'slam-the-door-in-your-face' welcome I get." Gaara replied sourly. "Anyway, I can tell you're still nervous about us being seen in public."

"Please, Gaara-san, don't be angry with me…" Hinata whispered. By now, her nervousness had already taken over and she was biting her lip.

"Maybe it's for the best that I don't see you so often," said Gaara, looking very irritable. And with that, Gaara disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Hinata staring at the place he once stood.


	3. Engagement

"_Please! Don't hurt us!" Hinata pleaded. "We'll leave you in peace! Just let us live!" Hinata paused as Gaara slowly drew nearer and nearer to her. In a last attempt to save Naruto, Hinata clutched his body in her petite arms and buried her head into his hair. She felt the seconds drag on as Gaara slowly approached. She could hear Naruto's short gasps of air, and cursed her helplessness in this situation. Suddenly, a kunai appeared on top of her neck. Hinata could feel the cold metal resting upon her inflamed neck. She closed her eyes and waited for the deathblow. _

_Strange thing was, she didn't feel anything. Gaara withdrew the kunai and walked away. When he was on the farthest side of the room, he turned back one more time and looked at Hinata. "You owe me one, Hyuuga. You owe me your life." In a flash, Gaara disappeared. Shino finally felt it was safe to radio Konoha and called for help._

It has been two and a half years since Gaara destroyed his whole village. But he has then more than proved his allegiance to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and has agreed to help rebuild the Leaf Village while his own lay in ruins.

Since then, he's become one of the ANBU, but was still greatly distrusted by everyone…perhaps even by Hinata herself. Hinata walked toward the Hyuuga Gardens. It was time for Neji's coming-of-age ceremony, and she was his guest of honor. What Gaara didn't know was that she, Hinata, was already engaged to Neji. Too frightened by what his reaction might be, Hinata vowed to keep quiet until "the time was right".

As time passed, the crowd slowly grew larger and larger. Hinata took the time to contemplate what the future would bring when she and Neji are married in five or six years. Of course, he would become the new Hyuuga. Finding no loophole in the law to make Hanabi the Hyuuga Head, the Hyuuga Elders took the second best choice: making Neji the next heir.

Hinata was not the least bitter. She knew that by making Neji the heir, he would help free the Branch Family from the invisible restraints placed upon them by the Main House.

But it seemed that her life was built around three boys: Gaara, Naruto, and Neji; all of whom she loved dearly. But one believed that wasn't the case; the other, hardly even recognized her; and the third was beyond her league in talent and jutsus. Hinata sighed. There just seemed no way that she'd be able to maintain the friendship of all three once the news of her engagement got out today. Gaara would (obviously) hate her forever. Naruto would fall for Sakura (no doubt there…). Neji, well he'd be her friend, but would he be her lover as well?

A voice jolted out of her reverie. "Hinata-sama, are you alright?" Neji asked in his stern, yet concerned, voice. "Shall I call someone?"

"Oh…I'm f-fine, Neji-ni-san," Hinata replied quickly. "Really, I am," she forced a smile on her lips.

"Well, if you insist," Neji said. "Let's go, Hinata-sama, we're needed at the front." With that, he took her hand and gently pulled her through the crowd. They arrived at the stage.

"People of the proud Hyuuga Family!" an Elder announced. "Today, we are here to commemorate Neji Hyuuga's coming-of-age!" Dignified clapping sounded through the crowd. "He is now sixteen, and of marrying age." A cheer rang from the Branch Family members. The Elder looked at them rather disdainfully. "Hinata-sama," he said loudly "will be Neji-sama's bride!" More clapping followed. "Now, let us celebrate!"

The ceremony finally ended, and Hinata gratefully took off her kimono in her room. Throughout the whole time, she was forced to smile as people congratulated her on her good fortune. While Hanabi loved events such as these, Hinata hated them. She much preferred to be alone in the garden rather than surrounded by dozens of people.

She put on her normal shirt, pants, and coat, and walked out the door. As she turned the corner in the Hyuuga compound, she walked right into Naruto. Blushing, she ran away before he even had a chance to say "hello".


	4. The Beginning

Try as she might, Hinata just couldn't get the oncoming engagement out of her mind. She was so distraught she didn't even notice that she ran into Naruto. Muttering a subconscious "sorry" and blushing deeply, Hinata ran off to her favorite spot in Konoha, the edge of the woods between the village and the outside world. Breathing a sigh of relief after all that jogging, she allowed a smile to play upon her lips.

But she wasn't alone.

"So, an engagement, eh?" asked Gaara from behind a tree.

Hinata tuned quickly. "G-Gaara-sama! I t-thought you were…you were…" her voice trailed off meekly after a glance as his stony face.

"…elsewhere?" finished Gaara.

Gulping, Hinata could only nod, hoping beyond hope that she would somehow learn a disappearing jutsu on the spot. "I'm s-sorry I didn't tell you ear–"

"Enough!" he suddenly shouted. "I've had enough of your 'hide-and-seek' games! You've been avoiding me all this time! No matter what I do, no matter how much I try, you just can't seem to let go of the fact that I'm a monster! I thought you were different from everyone one else, but you're not!" Angrily, he ran his fingers through his red hair.

"Gaara…"

"Don't talk to me!" he roared. "If you believe that I'm a real monster, then I'll show you what a real monster is!" With that, he performed a series of hand signs that released the demon chakra within him. Before she had time to react, Hinata found a large, sandy claw reared (from where Gaara's arm used to be) and ready to strike. She closed her eyes, and experienced _de-javu_ from the first time she'd met Gaara.

"Hinata-chan!" shouted a young man's voice. Hinata found herself being carried away from her position in front of Gaara to a safer spot behind a boulder. Hinata opened her eyes slightly, and found herself in Naruto's arms.

"N-Naruto-kun, thank you." she gasped.

"No time to talk!" he screamed, for the one-tailed sand demon was now reeking havoc among the trees with great gusto. Hinata attempted to stand up, but a wind jutsu knocked her unconscious.

"_Hinata? Hinata! Are you awake?" _Hinata slowly opened her eyes. She was in the Konoha Hospital, on a safe, warm bed.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted. "You're okay!" Hinata opened her eyes even wider.

"Hinata-sama, you ought to be more careful next time," Neji Hyuuga said. He held her right hand in his left, and he looked really concerned. "Are you alright?"

But the first words out of Hinata's mouth were "Where's Gaara?"

"Him?" growled Kiba, "We ran him out of the Village. That guy was no good from the start." He shook his head as Akamaru barked. "We never should have trusted him."

"Agreed," said Shino.

"Why, I ought to pummel that bastard for attacking Hinata-chan lie that!" said Naruto angrily. "When all her life she's shown him nothing but kindness." At those words, Hinata lowered her eyes and thought: _No, I didn't. I failed him. I'm sorry, Gaara-sama._

The door to her room opened and Tsunade-sama walked in. "Hinata," she began, "I'm afraid I'll have to make this quick. I hope you are well." Hinata nodded. "I must know for future reference: Is there something that provoked Gaara to attack you like that?' Her stare seemingly penetrated Hinata's white eyes and into her mind.

"Ah…um…well…" she began, unable to finish any of her sentences.

"Granny Tsunade!" Naruto began, "Can't you see she needs rest right now? She can't play 20 Questions with you!"

"That was only one question, baka!" yelled Tsunade.

"No!" Hinata suddenly said. "No, I've no idea what made him so angry." And with that, her little white lie started a whole chain of events that would lead to an innocent's death.

--

From now on, I'm going to try to make my Chaps longer :)


	5. The Murder

"Hinata, it's time!" said Hanabi. "Come out so I can fix your kimono."

Hinata, now 20 years old, came out of her dressing room and looked at her younger sister shyly. Hanabi squealed in an almost un-Hanabi-ish way. "You look great, sis!" What she said was true. Hinata was dressed in a silky, white kimono that contained embroidered cranes and lilies along the border. The center was plain white, except for a large dove that represented love. It was Hinata and Neji's wedding day, and Hinata couldn't remember being more nervous. She was so scared that she would make a mistake and disgrace her father and her family. All of Konoha was invited to attend, and the person she wanted to impress most was Naruto.

For the past 4 years, Hinata had trained and trained, attempting to become stronger. Yet, it seemed that all her efforts, except for those in medical ninjutsu, were in vain. She was not a better ninja than when she nearly died at the age of 12 during her match against Neji. She still could not even defeat Hanabi in a battle. And her father...her father had the look of disappointment every time he spoke to her. It was as if she was nothing more important than a fragile flower or relic: She was needed to pass down the tradition of the Hyuuga Family and bear the heir, but she would never be accepted as and equal by others because of her lack of abilities.

Part of the reason she wanted to become stronger so badly was because she knew that if anyone could stop Gaara, it would be her. She needed to prove to him that she was stronger, and that she could fight and defend her friends and family. She needed to prove that all the times that Neji-ni-san spent training with her was not wasted. She had to prove to Naruto that she would never give up and run away anymore. Most of all, she had to correct the wrong she made when covering-up Gaara's angry outburst all those years ago.

"Hinata!" Hanabi shouted, breaking her out of her reverie. "They're announcing your name! Come on! Get outside! Father's waiting for you!"

Hinata grabbed the edges of her kimono and stumbled out, right into her father. "Hinata," he said sternly, "Be more careful next time, you may end up hurting yourself." It was one of these comments that maddened Hinata the most. She was not a fragile flower caught in the breeze, and she most certainly would have caught herself before she fell.

"People of the Hyuuga Family and Konoha," the Hyuuga Elder began in the midst of the crowd in the Hyuuga Gardens, "We are gathered here today, once again, to celebrate the marriage of Neji Hyuuga and Hinata Hyuuga!" A cheer rang out. "Please take your seats as we begin this ceremony!" Music began to play, and Hinata and Neji both stepped onto the stage. Standing behind the podium, the Elder began going through the long Hyuuga Family history, and ended with "…Until death do them apart." Just as Hinata and Neji grasped hands, Neji suddenly collapsed onto the floor, dead.

"NEJI…!"

--

" I'm sorry, but there's nothing that I can do for him, Hinata," Tsunade said, placing a hand on Hinata's shoulders. "He's gone."

"No…" whispered Hinata, her shoulders shaking with uncried tears. How could Neji-ni-san be gone? He was her closest friend and confidant. She felt as if part of her heart had just died with him. After years of attempting to convince herself that Naruto was merely an inspiration and not her lover, Hinata had grown to enjoy Neji's company. How would she be able to love another? In fact, who would she be forced to marry now? No one else was as kind and caring towards her as her cousin, and most other boys of the Hyuuga Clan 's Main Branch looked down upon her. "Why!" She suddenly blurted out. "Why would someone do this to Neji-ni-san?"

"I'm afraid the person responsible is quite sure that we'll find him and link him to you, Hinata," Tsunade said. "You see, the perpetrator is a user of "Iron Sand", and they managed to sneak it into Neji's food and drinks. As it built up over time in his body, it became and unnoticeable, but potent poison. He was bound to die eventually. I'm so sorry it had to be that time, Hinata," Tsunade said. "But you know, the only person who knew how to control it was the Third Kazekage… "

"…And Gaara-san killed the Third Kazekage," finished Hinata, and her eyes opened wide. "Y-you mean that Gaara killed Neji…by using the information he gathered from the corpse? But-But why?" But Hinata knew exactly why. He was still angered by her engagement, and vowed to keep his promise of showing her what a real monster was capable of. But now it all made sense: His constant disappearances and his seemingly impossible dreams about restoring his clan with Hinata by his side. He was never going to allow Hinata to wed anyone else but himself to begin with. From the moment he met her, he'd decided her fate. And for the first time, anger filled her eyes at what he'd done to her and what he'd done to Neji. She would not allow this to continue. She could not let anyone else in the Leaf Village that got close to her to be harmed. So for the first time, Hinata asked to be sent out on a mission. "Tsuande-sama, if any information comes about Gaara, will you notify me? I would like to be sent out on the next mission to stop Gaara-san."

Surprised, Tsunade agreed. "But under one condition," she said. "I need you to tell me anything, anything at all, that might help us find him. We must gather all our resources in order to pursue the Sand ninja. I need more information about what happened on that day when I sent your team on that mission to the Sand Village."

So Hinata attempted to recall every detail for Tsunade-sama. She told of how all her teammates were easily knocked out by his sand shield and how at the end of the fight, he allowed her to live for reasons of his own. Hinata did not tell Tsunade-sama about his wild ideas of Hinata and himself staying together in Konoha and to later rebuild the Village of the Sand. She felt that was still too much to reveal at one time and that it would be almost a betrayal to his trust. Why she still cared about his trust, Hinata didn't know. But all she knew was that this was between her and Gaara, and she needed to settle this honorably.

Hinata took a vow that day, and that was to find Gaara and stop him no matter what laid ahead…

--

"Tsunade-sama!" yelled a Chuunin as he crashed through the door to her office. "The team we've sent retrieve the remains of the Sand Village have returned."

"Excellent!" she sad briskly. "Send them in…"

"Tsunade-sama," said Yamato, "We've found the corpse, and it's quite…broken up. It seems someone had examined it before us. However, we were able to collect some hair and skin samples like you asked. But this is the last of it. The rest of the body is unrecognizable and unable to be processed." He held out a few vials containing an ominous-looking liquid.

"Good," Tsunade said. "Now we can analyze it for traces of Gaara's scent. If you'll excuse me, Yamato, I've got to take this to the medical lab." Tsunade showed the ANBU out of her office and she herself walked out. _Hinata, _she thought, _we've finally found it. After a year of waiting, you can now complete your mission._

--

"Hinata! Naruto! Yamato! Kakashi!" Tsunade barked, "You four have been chosen to track down Gaara. I'm placing a jounin and an ANBU on the team because it is an S ranked mission. Hinata, you will be the Medical Ninja. Naruto, let's be clear: The only reason you're going is because you pestered me to no end and drove me crazy…so be careful and stay by Yamato's side! I don't want to hear anything about your insubordination when you return! Kakashi, you will be the tracker, make sure each and every one of your ninja dogs have gotten the scent of Gaara. Yamato, you will be Naruto's protector, and, because you know the layout of the remains of the Sand Village best, you will also be the tactician."

"Wha…? I don't need a protector!" Naruto yelled. "I can take care of myself!"

Normally, this show of bravado would have touched Hinata, but in the past months, she's gone through some major changes. Her once warm eyes were now only cold with revenge. She had no more of the friendliness left within her. She'd lost her innocence, and became almost as distant as her father. Many of her family members also noticed the change, and while some revered her for it, others, like Hanabi, were terribly worried that they'd lost a close friend. Hinata not only changed her mental state, but she'd also trained hard for the last year. Now, she was more than a match for Hanabi, and once again trained with her father daily like when she was younger. She was not only a skilled medical ninja, but she was also a jounin now, much to the pride of Hiashi Hyuuga. No more did the quiet, nice, Hinata Hyuuga exist. She'd become a cold-blooded assassin.

"Alright!" said Tsunade. "Head out!"

"Right!" everyone said.

--

Okay, so it wasn't THAT much longer…sorry people . But I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you had just as much fun reading it.


	6. Gaara's Decision

"Hinata-chan! Wait up!" Naruto shouted from behind. The team was darting through the woods atop of tree limbs and leaves.

Hinata paused to look back at Naruto, and then returned to her quick pace. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, but we must hurry," she said, emotionlessly. Despite the fact that the rest of the team was lagging behind, Hinata pushed herself to the limit in order to reach the remains of the Sand Village, where she knew Gaara was.

"He's right, Hinata," Yamato said, "As we draw nearer to the Sand Village, we need to become more cautious and alert, rather than rushing into the place our enemy is most familiar with."

Hinata lowered her head. She no longer took orders from people such as Yamato, or so she tells herself. And much less from Genin like Naruto. Perhaps her inferiority complex has changed her more than she realized. _But_, reasoned Hinata,_ it has also made her stronger_.

She suddenly stopped in her tracks. Up ahead, she spotted the edge of the Hidden Sand Village, or rather, what remained of the Sand Village. The place was so desolate that it looked like a ghost town, broken down by the sands of time. But Hinata wasn't fooled. She knew that within the ruins of the once prosperous village, Gaara laid in wait, hoping either for more innocent people to kill or (although she'd never admit it) for a chance at redemption. Her sympathy for Gaara has long since waned away.

"We're here…" she murmured.

"Hinata, Naruto," Kakashi said as he came to a halt, "Yamato and I will scope out the peripheral area of the village. You two wait here for us to return, and then we'll all slowly make our way to the center. Understood?" Naruto nodded and Hinata merely blinked, showing neither agreement nor dissent. As soon as Yamato and Kakashi left, however, Hinata began heading off in the same direction, straight for the center of the village.

"Oy! H-Hinata!" Naruto called out, "We're suppose to wait here!" Naruto, who would have normally done the same thing Hinata did after their captains left, had restrained himself. Although he would have loved to give Gaara a piece of his mind, Granny Tsunade had warned him to watch over Hinata and make sure she isn't foolishly running into battle.

Hinata looked back towards Naruto with distain. "We all know he's somewhere in the center of the town. Why should I wait? Kakashi is just trying to delay us because of some 'noble' concept of his that you and I should be protected." She started off again.

"Hinata!" shouted Naruto. He rushed ahead and grabbed her wrist. Hinata jerked away and glared at him.

"I always thought you were stronger and braver, Naruto-kun. I guess I was wrong to believe that." Hinata said. But Naruto wasn't going to give up that easily. He jumped in front of her and spread his arms out.

"Hinata! I can't let you get hurt by Gaara again! You almost died the last time he released the chakra of the one-tailed demon!" You can't…" Before Naruto could finish, Hinata had released chakra from the tips of two fingers and touched the place above his heart. Naruto gasped with surprised and pain.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but I can't let you get in my way now that I've come this far," Hinata said ruefully. She then left her teammate paralyzed and lying on the ground as she headed toward the village.

--

Gaara sat in the dark silence of his old home. The destruction of Village Hidden in the Sand was just an unforgiving memory to him now. He couldn't seem to keep track of time, nor could he think of anyone else but Hinata. The ninja of Konoha had pinned the murder of Neji on him, and with good reason. He was a marked and guilty man. And this time, not even Hinata's sympathy would save him. He knew what he must do. With new resolve, Gaara stood up and headed for the one place where he would be most wanted.

--

Hinata dashed to the place that she and Gaara first met, the home of the Third Kazekage. But before she could enter the building, the only recognizable thing in the mass of sand, an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back.

"Hinata!" Kakashi barked. For the first time, he seemed angry. "I warned you to stay hidden until we've secured the area!" As he spoke, he let go of Hinata. _Wrong move_, Hinata thought. She quickly darted around him and towards the door of the Kazekage's tower. "Hinata! Hinata!" shouted Kakashi as he followed closely behind. Hinata ran up the stairs and reached the door to the conference room, where she had once buried her head in Naruto's hair in a futile attempt to save him. _How ironic,_ though Hinata, _but this time, I won't be the one cowering in fear._

She opened the door quickly, not waiting to sense enemy chakra, and rushed in. She gasped. The room was empty. Kakashi arrived right behind her.

"He's gone," he said after searching the room. Hinata, wide-eyed, could only kneel down onto her knees and sob. After all this, he was gone. They had come too late.

--

Gaara was already amongst the trees when Hinata had come into his "home" of nearly a year. Thanks to Kakashi's timely and unintentional diversion, he was able to escape. Just as he was about to dart over another limb, he spotted Naruto, lying helpless in the tall grass. It was already too late to disguise his presence, and so his shadow glided over Naruto as he and Naruto looked at each other, one set of eyes widened in surprise and the other in cold calculation.

Gaara considered killing him in order to further delay the team's advancement. But a memory suddenly came up of Hinata burying her head in Naruto's hair, trying to use her body as a shield in order to protect the blond ninja. Gaara clutched his forehead, as another wave of nausea swept over him. He now knew the dizziness as a foreshadowing of his blind anger, and darted forward, trying not to reveal the growing strength his chakra.

He knew there was only one place that he could go: Akatsuki.

--

A special thanks to the following people for commenting on my story! **GaarazBabiiGirl, Wombatxxmd, Rot Into Death, **and** AnimeRose93**.


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